Getting Ready For the Rapture – Part 6

April 6, 2017

Rev. James Allen

The saying is: Freedom is not free. It does cost something for us to really have freedom. This country has been a land of freedom up until the last few years. Now we are in debt to this one and that one. They built a new building in New York; a sky scraper. China is part owner of it. They have so many floors that is theirs. They can have it all as far as I am concerned, because I do not want a building; that when it is finished; is over run with rats. “The husbandman that laboreth must be first partaker of the fruits.” He has to eat his own crop. My grandfather grew corn, tobacco, and different other things, but he did not use fertilizer. So they called what he grew: nubbins, that is what he grew, nubbins. “Consider what I say; and the Lord give thee understanding in all things. Remember that Jesus Christ of the seed of David was raised from the dead according to my gospel:” According to his gospel. He knew it. He had been there. I am talking about the Apostle Paul. He met Him on the Damascus road. We must have our meeting with Him also. We each one according to His foreordained plan must meet Him and submit ourselves to His will and purpose as He calls us. You may have thought in your younger life; that there were things you wanted to do first. He does the calling, and we do the accepting. There is a song: when He calls for me, I will answer. That is when our life begins to amount to something; when we determine to follow Him; wherever He leads us. He leads and we follow. He told the disciples to go wait at Jerusalem “until: how long ? until you be endued with power from on high. Do not cut yourself short this morning: this is for you. The Holy Ghost is not a possibility or a probability, He is real. He who created all things; is calling you today: Come unto me, and I will give you rest: rest from the struggle in your life. Listen how the apostle expressed it; “Wherein I suffer trouble, as an evildoer, even unto bonds; but the Word of God is not bound.” He had been in jail. He had been clubbed, yet he could stand there with scars all over his body rejoicing in the Spirit of God. We need to be that sure in ourselves, because the gospel is sure; not a maybe so. There is no probability to it; it is a sure thing. Do you get what I am saying? Is it understandable? The end is coming, and we are getting very close. “Therefore I endure all things for the elect’s sake.” Certain people have a list of all the things I have supposedly preached wrong, but it is a funny thing to me; to know that these same people who are accusing me of preaching wrong: actually stood out here in the parking lot and disagreed with what Bro. Jackson had said. I will go a little further. Up here in Sellersburg; at a restaurant; you disagreed, even before other people, with what Bro. Jackson had said. Some of you even threatened to move off somewhere, even while Bro. Jackson was still living, all because he had made some judgments that was not approved by you. I have not made a list of these things. It is not on the internet. Really, the things I have preached, have been for everybody to hear, and I have not taken any of it back. You might say: Well what if you are wrong? The question is: What if you are wrong? “ I preach what God gives me to preach, so I have no reason to take back anything. The man of God said; Therefore I endure all things for the elect’s sake, that they may also obtain the salvation which is in Christ Jesus; with eternal glory.” I have not preached the things I have preached; for myself. That is because I knew it before I ever preached it. “It is a faithful saying: For if we be dead with Him, we shall also live with Him.” That is quite a statement: If we be dead with Him. What does a dead person do? The lifeless body just lays wherever it is placed. That is what baptism is for, to put the old man away, that the new man may be able to live, which is Christ Jesus indwelling: abiding within our physical being, to take the place of what we lost. What we lost became gain. As Paul said, there is not another gospel. In Galatians, the 1st chapter, he was amazed that they so soon turned from the gospel of God; unto another gospel. Just because some do not understand certain things, does not mean that we who preach do not understand; because we do. I believe the majority of people here at Faith Assembly do understand the third day. What would keep any true believer from understanding it? It is so simple: you cannot go wrong. When you go beyond where the second day ends: You are automatically in the third day: whether you realize it or not. I say also, I believe the majority of people at Faith Assembly believe that the lake of fire is in the heart of the earth, but there are always one or two that just do not get it. I believe that the majority of people at Faith Assembly believe that the seven women taking hold of one man is talking about something in the future; and why. Some people reject what they hear without even checking it out. The fact that it does not specifically spell out every detail; leaves some hanging without much to hold on to. Simply because it does tell that it is something future, when seven women will take hold of one man. That little preacher fellow that sent tapes to certain people here at Faith Assembly, which were then brought to me: showed how he tried to explain the seven women. I have never seen such garbage from any man that claims to be called to preach the Word of God. He did not have a right explanation for anything. The scripture is true, but you cannot find what you had put together in any of the Word of God. I can show scripture for what I preached. I am not going to say much about that: it would just cause him to start sending more tapes to this congregation. We do not need that. His futile effort to prove me wrong, just exposed his scriptural ignorance, and especially that which he had already spewed out. Let us just be thankful that we do not have to make way for something like that when we meet together to worship God. I now want to go to Ephesians 5:25 to continue on. Husbands, love your wives, even as Christ also loved the Church, and gave Himself for it.” He is making an illustration here. Your wife is someone you can see. “That He might sanctify and cleanse it with the washing of water by the Word. That He might present it to Himself a glorious Church, not having spot, ( A spot is obvious. He is talking about the entire scope of the Church. If we, as a minister, do not see how to take care of spots, then where are they going to be taken care of? Well, I have an idea, I have an opinion, I believe it should be done this way, I would not have done it that way. You made the wrong judgment, I sure would have done it different. ( That is what you hear from some who think they know it all.) We have got to get rid of these spots.) or wrinkles. ”Where do you get wrinkles from? Sitting down. The Bible says, having done all to stand, then stand. You do not get wrinkles standing. He is talking about clothing. He is not talking about the suit you have on now. He is talking about what you are going to be robed with in eternity. I have had to do things that jogged my mind. I just had to almost close my eyes and forget about me, and think about the sacred Word of God. It is not easy. It is not something that brings joy or brings pleasure: It is kind of like the little boy I saw in a movie many years ago. It was an old black and white movie. His dad was correcting him. Of course you cannot do that now. Dad corrected him and had to whip him. You certainly cannot do that now; without maybe having the Law at your door. Naturally the little boy cried. His dad said: Son, this hurts me more than it hurts you. The little boy said, Then why am I the one crying? When it comes to pastoring a church; you have to move on, because you are doing many things for the benefit of the congregation. We all want to make it in the rapture, regardless of what it requires of us. I say to some today, that some have gotten themselves into problems by not taking heed to what is preached. Now it is up to you to change the situation by prayer and taking heed to the Word that is preached. Many times; it might be by fasting also. The devil comes in little baby steps, but actually he has something out here that he is desiring to kill. Jesus said that he kills and destroys. As long as we keep him out of the corral, he cannot get among the sheep. The reason I used the illustration of what those men did there in Germany; was to show how much our dedication has to be. I never said you cannot go out and eat. I never really set limits on what people should do and should not do, because I believe the Holy Ghost will tell us. If we go against that, we have gone against our own conscience. I will leave the rest for tonight. I have not dealt with the blemish yet, which is a different thing, but I will tonight.GETTING READY FOR THE RAPTURE-PART 15

This agreement our politicians have hammered out with Iran: is something that has not been read, something the government does not even know exactly what is in it, neither house or the Senate. They will never know what is in it. People will vote for something because they are told to. I have never asked you to believe what I say, except for looking in the Word to see if it correlates with the Word of God. The Bible talks about, let one speak and others judge, which is what I want. That is what I expect; so that there is no schism between us when something comes about. We never expect that there will be any false moves, or made up things; just to get attention, or to get in fellowship with someone, or to strive to have fellowship. I have nothing to gain to tell you anything but the truth here on this earth. It all lays on the other side, except for the benefit of the saints of God. That is the thing about it. If I were looking for popularity, there would be a lot more people here that never would have left. Because we made a stand for certain things, that brought about division. Sometimes it turns out like that. The Bible says it will bring forth division, but I never thought about anything that I was led to say: would be bringing division, until division first came, then everything that is a revelation is controversial with people. I have learned that you just have to look at the Word of God and go on unperturbed by those who would cause a problem. I had a map of the West Coast. This one shows more, because it goes all the way down to Argentina, to that fault line. It goes up through here all the way to British Columbia, and then off toward Japan. That is the red line you see here. The yellow line is the probability of where it will go, that puts a big dent in it. As I said earlier, it estimates seven million people that are affected in that area by that, because this is where the cities are, San Francisco, Los Angeles, Vancouver, all those large cities, Seattle. They spoke about seven million people. That is a lot of people. I know there have been movies, or documentaries that have been made; of what that it would look like, if and when it does come. I am not saying if it comes, I am saying when it comes. As the scientists look at it and see the movement of the earth, that is what they are looking at, because there are two plates here. One of them is rising over the other, pushing against it, and it can just push so far and then it collapses. I remember Bro. Branham telling how far back under the ledge they had taken submarines, some fifty miles or so underneath the earth. That is a long way. The thing about it is, as it was in the days of Noah, as it was in the days of Sodom and Gomorrah. That has to be judgment. Some people have said, well if it don’t happen, He will have to raise up Sodom. I have never gone that far, God knows what He is doing, I don’t have to instruct Him as to what will happen, or what He will do. That is His business. But looking at the time and the season we are living in, there are many things that can happen in the next few months according to the word of the Lord. I can go back to what is really going on now in America especially, to see that judgment is on the rise. There are tornadoes, there are floods in places that have not been that way before. Most of them have been centered more or less in the central part of the United States, up until the last year or so, especially this year. They are in New York or wherever these tornadoes are happening. We must look at these things as being judgments of God. It is really a pre-event to the things that are really going to happen later on. The national leadership in this country, is what God looks at, the national leadership in this country has failed. They have not failed God, they have just failed because they had no God in their mind. If they did, it was something false. Here we are now, 2015 at the end of the Jewish year within one month. We are watching. That is what the Bible says, watch and wait. That is what we are doing, we are watching; watching events as they are coming about, so that we can keep up to date with what God is doing. These things are just precursors to what is really going to happen later. What I am saying by this; is God looking for some people that He can put His hand on, that are going to follow Him no matter what the circumstances are? A lot of people say they know God, but do they know His Word? You cannot live by the Word of God, if you do not have it in your soul by faithful study of it. Many have applied themselves to thinking that sometimes an excited experience will be enough. I don’t watch it, but these young people that get on television and show themselves: When you see them shaking their head up and down and getting out of their mind, they are feeling something, but it is not the anointing of the Spirit of God. The Spirit of God is one thing, but the devil is another spirit: a counterfeiter, and he tries to make his show as something God has ordained. Saints of God: Listen to me: It takes a spiritual mind to know the difference. There are many preachers out there now; that are either preaching finances or preaching healing. Blind eyes are being opened, hands are being healed, but you never see those things taking place. Even if I did see it; it would not change my faith in the Word of God. I remember reading last week, where the disciples came to Jesus and said, we found a man that was not following you; that was praying for the sick. Jesus said, Let him alone: Those that are not against us are for us. In other words, He was saying, do not allow yourselves to get mixed up with it: just let it go. There are a lot of things going on out there that may look great to some, but we must be on guard against what it may lead into. Like I said before, just about every week, we have someone calling; wanting to help us. Last week, someone called; wanting to come here and teach our young people how to worship. Think about that brothers and sisters: I ask you, do you have to have someone come in here to teach us how to worship God? Worshiping God is automatic for saints that have the Spirit of God abiding within them. There is a learning process of course, but we learn to worship Him by the leading of His Spirit that is abiding within us. You cannot worship Him until you have that experience. If you have not yet received the Holy Ghost, learn to yield to His leading until you know you have Him abiding within. No preacher, nor anyone else can give you the Spirit of God: It is a personal experience; that you have once you realize that it comes only when you yield your will to His will. That is when your salvation experience really becomes a walk with God in this life. Let us go now; to Ephesians 5, which is a very familiar scripture around here. If these preachers out here today, had lived in Jesus’ day, they would have heard Him say: this is an evil and adulterous generation that looks for signs; but there will be no sign given to them; except that of Jonah the prophet, as he was three days and three nights in the belly of the whale, so shall the Son of man be in the heart of the earth, and He just left it that way. I will start with the 25th verse. “Husbands, love your wives, even as Christ also loved the Church, and gave himself for it.” As I said this morning: that is a comparison. He was comparing a love relationship between a man and woman in this life; with the love of God that He will put within our hearts when we yield to Him. I will read a little further in this, because there is something on down here that I want you to see. “That He might sanctify and cleanse it with the washing of water by the word.” That is the first thing. He has to clean it before these other things can be done, with the Word. The water is a cleansing agent, but it is not a cleansing agent itself altogether. It is a means of taking away what the blood of Jesus Christ has cleansed. “That He might present it to Himself a glorious Church, not having spot, (I went over that this morning, He said not having spot. In other words, He is saying there is a place within himself to keep these spots away, because He said not having spot.) or wrinkle, (I explained it this morning in that way, when we sit down, I usually ride to church with my jacket off so that it is not wrinkled. Because that is an illustration, not having spot or wrinkle. That is what shows up to the outside. The cleansing is an inward experience, but what we do with that cleansing is that we let that cleansing take place on the inside so that the outside is not affected. The washing of the water by the Word, He is not saying , that we might get these things, He is saying that, so that we may keep from these things. Paul talks about being separate from the world, but what I am talking about is being anchored in the Word, so that the devil cannot pull us away. He may shake our little boat, but that anchor will hold it. The Word is our anchor.) or any such thing, (As long as we are in this flesh, we are subject to mistakes. A mistake is not a spot or a wrinkle, if we have been honest. If I do something that I know is not Word advised, then that is a spot or wrinkle. However if somewhere, (I am trying to make this simple, like I am driving down the road, I know there are people on the highway that do not want anyone to pass them. Some people are just that way. There are people that will not drive over forty five and they do not want you to pass them. I usually do not stay behind anyone that is driving forty five in a fifty five mile zone. Going to Salem the other day: I passed this person that was driving that way, and they pulled over the white line on me. I just jerked over close to the edge and went on around them. I did not curse them; I was just glad to get around them and go on. We should never let anger guide our feelings because anger is a point of contact for the devil. The Bible says be ye angry and sin not. It could have been written: Though you may get angry; do not allow that anger to cause you to sin. We have to know how far to go with that. If you get angry; do not let that anger cause you to sin. I mentioned something about some young sister the other night, what they were trying to put over on her by some gay teacher. That has been resolved. See? If we don’t let the devil get hold of us because of these things which are trials and tests, we can just keep walking right on with the Lord. They are tests that I do not want, and I do not have to worry about ; because I don’t have to go to school. I do not see why anybody in their 80’s would want to go and finish college, but there are some that do. I guess they just want to be young again, but that will not do it. They used to say, once a man, twice a boy, or twice a child. I will do what I have to do in this world and leave other things alone. If I see somebody that I think is half way right when election comes around, then I will vote for them, but that is far as I am going. I am not campaigning for any of them. People call you; wanting you to commit to someone. I have already committed to the only One that I will commit to. I have committed to Him a long time ago. As far as politics go: the good person usually does not get in office anyway. People complain about crooks all the time, but yet they helped elect them.) but that it should be holy and without blemish.” That is a big word, blemish. That is what He is looking for in us: that is what He is looking for in me. Don’t think that I am trying to put the price too high. I am trying to get it to a place where we can live and be happy in Jesus Christ, and get these bad feelings out of our lives. I am talking about these fleshly desires; these fleshly hopes that grab some. A blemish is to err in body or mind, to put something in the body or to put something in the mind that is not spiritually right. You might say: Well that is just the way I am. That is the kind of attitude that the Spirit of God in you will get rid of. He will not make a place for an attitude like that. What if the Lord Jesus had said that? He would come right down to the cross, all the way to the garden before the cross, and there He prayed, Father take this away if it is your will. He comes and finds the disciples asleep, and what does He do? He goes back again, and prays the same prayer. He gets no answer, because His course was already predetermined. He knew what He was going to have to go through with. When Paul looked at it, he talked about it and said He become a curse by hanging on a tree, all for us, to take that curse away from us. Then he went back the third time. It said the disciples slept for sorrow. But after He went back the third time: this is our Lord, He went back the third time and prayed again and said, let it be so according to thy will Father. That did not take the pain away. That did not take the cross away. He is not going to take everything out of our way: We are going to have to be overcomers. It makes us stronger when we do overcome, because we can look back and see that God put something there to strengthen me. Can you look at that for yourself? Nevertheless, He said, not my will but thine be done. Then the battle is over. What do I mean; the battle is over? He had submitted to the will and purpose of the Father. He knew there was a way out. He said He could have called for more than twelve legions of angels. He could have done that; but it took the cross to finish what was to be. As Paul said, when He saw the glory that was to follow, He took the shame to follow the will of the Father. There; the most perfect man that ever lived, had to be stripped naked before men and women, and bear the shame of it. It bothers me to think of it now. It was not by some accident: It took that to complete the plan of His Father. There they were: men that hated Him, sitting there around Him; gambling over His garment, He already knew from scripture, that they would do that. He was fulfilling the scripture; bit by bit by bit, as He carried the old rugged cross. The glory was not in carrying the cross, and neither was the glory in the crown of thorns, the glory was that He died for us. He took our shame with Him. Furthermore, He took our shame to hell; so that we would not have to go there. We sing the song, Oh what a Savior. oh Hallelujah: is what we say when we think of what He wrought for us there that day. Yes, His heart was broken, and also His bones; there on what we refer to as Calvary. He shed innocent blood to set us free from what was before us: I was talking about spots and blemishes on our robes. We know what a spot is, so let me remind you what a blemish is: A blemish is what we have when we err in body or mind, or in reproach. A blemish is to disgrace that which empowers our reputation, or to taint or reproach. I do not want any of these things in my garment: because I do not see it in Revelation 19, and we know He is coming after a glorious Church; without spot or wrinkle, or blemish. In Matthew 13:43, He is talking about a Church that is going to shine. Paul talked about a shining in an evil generation. We are here; among all kinds of wicked and God hating humans of every kind. We are commissioned to overcome all of that as long as we are still here. He goes ahead to say, “So ought men to love their wives as their own bodies. He that loveth his wife loveth himself. For no man ever yet hated his own flesh; but nourisheth and cherisheth it, even as the Lord the Church.” That is how much He loved us, He is comparing a marriage relationship with His love for us. That is what this chapter is all about. This is what I said awhile ago. “For we are members of His body, of His flesh, and of His bones.” It goes all the way back to the beginning; when God had created Adam and took the rib from him and created Eve. See? It was a part of Adam. Bro. Jackson said He took a little bit of bone and a little bit of flesh to make the woman. We are His flesh and blood through the offering of Himself, because He was our offering, that the offering of bulls and goats and heifers could not take care of. As he goes on here, he is still likening marriage to the relationship between Him and His Church. “For this cause shall a man leave his father and mother, and shall be joined unto his wife, and they two shall be one flesh. This is a great mystery: but I speak concerning Christ and the church.” He is talking about that relationship between a man and a woman, (not between two men or two women). This church world that is all around us: that we are living in the midst of, before it is all over with, they will accept the mark of the beast. Preachers are already preaching in these big churches that it is alright to drink wine. They get that from their Mama; which is the woman of Revelation, chapter17. “Nevertheless let every one of you in particular so love his wife even as himself; and the wife see that she reverence her husband.” See: He puts this altogether in a relationship. I want to go to 2nd Peter, chapter 2. Listen to this .“But there were false prophets also among the people, even as there shall be false teachers among you, who privily shall bring in damnable heresies, even denying the Lord that bought them, and bring upon themselves swift destruction. And many shall follow their pernicious ways; by reason of whom the way of truth shall be evil spoken of, And through covetousness shall they with feigned words make merchandise of you: those whose judgment now of a long time lingereth not, and their damnation slumbereth not. For if God spared not the angels that sinned, but cast them down to hell, and delivered them into chains of darkness, to be reserved unto judgment; And spared not the old world, but saved Noah the eighth person, a preacher of righteousness, bringing in the flood upon the world of the ungodly.” One man with a message, held that world together for a hundred and twenty years. It says, he was a preacher of righteousness. This world is being held together by saints of God. I could say this, He is waiting for us to get ready, but no, He is getting us ready. He is not waiting on anything. God does not have to wait on anything: He is performing according to His plan and purpose. “And turning the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah into ashes, (Notice the wording of this) condemned them with an overthrow, making them an example unto those that after should live ungodly; (Those perverts of Sodom and Gomorrah were living in an ungodly way so pay attention to the wording here)And delivered just Lot, (that refers to justified Lot, not just Lot. He had two daughters that were spared when God’s judgment came upon all the rest.) vexed with the filthy conversation of the wicked.” Lot was the picture of the foolish virgins, because he chose, without God’s help, the direction which he would go, not thinking about the consequences. There was Abraham, that gave him the choice. God in this hour, has given us a choice. We are here by the grace of God and nothing else, because the grace of God: that comes through predestination. I want all of you that love God to know that you are here tonight; because you are predestined to be here, and not because you made a choice one day in your life. God, by in His great foreknowledge knew from the beginning of creation who would love and worship Him. We did not know until our time to surrender came, but God knew from the beginning of creation; where we would go in life. Though you make a choice it will not stick; if it is contrary to God’ foreordained plan for your life. “For that righteous man (Lot) dwelling among them, in seeing and hearing, vexed his righteous soul from day to day with their unlawful deeds.” Do you know what happened? It either was not too bad when he went there, but after awhile his family gets caught up in the thing. It is better to resist. He had two daughters who were virgins. But he had other family members also; because he had son-in-laws. I remember Bro. Jackson going over that years ago. He had preached on; “Remember Lot’s Wife.” He said Lot’s wife got tangled up in all the mission work, the sewing bee’s, soup suppers and all of that. When the time came for them to leave, she was too tied to that. It was not the life style. I don’t believe she was living like those perverts , but she was thinking about what all she would have to leave behind: Like, I am not going to have a home, and I am going to loose part of my family, maybe even grandchildren. But Jesus said, I will put it this way, if I take hold of the plow and look back, I am not worthy of the kingdom. What you have in your life, or whatever you may have that is holding you back in your life: ditch it, it is not worth what it will cost you. That is an awful price to pay. I am not trying to be mean by saying these things, I am just trying to be honest. This is what Paul preached, and this is what Peter preached. We must be without spot, or wrinkle, or blemish, or any such thing. I like this part, “The Lord knoweth how to deliver the godly out of temptations. (Temptations some times come our way, God is able to deliver us out of them, so that we are not bogged down in the same old way.) and to reserve the unjust unto the day of judgment to be punished.” There is a difference between godly and ungodly living. There is a difference in living right and living wrong. “But chiefly them that walk after the flesh in the lust of uncleanness, and despise government. Presumptuous are they, self-willed, they are not afraid to speak evil of dignities. Whereas angels, which are greater in power and might, bring not railing accusation against them before the Lord. But these, as natural brute beasts, made to be taken and destroyed, speak evil of the things that they understand not; and shall utterly perish in their own corruption.” It is because spots, and blemishes, and wrinkles, sometimes come into a life. “And shall receive the reward of unrighteousness, as they that count it pleasure to riot in the day time. Spots they are and blemishes, sporting themselves with their own deceivings while they feast with you.” The devil in no way can come up to your level, but he wants to bring you down to his level. Then he will spit on you. “Having eyes full of adultery, and that cannot cease from sin; beguiling unstable souls: an heart they have exercised with covetous practices; cursed children: Which have forsaken the right way, and are gone astray, following the way of Balaam the son of Bosor, who loved the wages of unrighteousness; But was rebuked for his iniquity: the dumb ass speaking with man’s voice forbad the madness of the prophet. These are wells without water, clouds that are carried with a tempest; to whom the mist of darkness is reserved for ever. For when they speak great swelling words of vanity, they allure through the lusts of the flesh, through much wantonness, those that were clean escaped from them who live in error. (those that are clean, having been washed in the water of the word, having kept the blemishes, the spots and wrinkles away) escaped from them who live in error.” There had to be an escape. Sometimes there has to be a pulling away from certain things. “While they promise them liberty, they themselves are the servants of corruption: for of whom a man is overcome, of the same is he brought in bondage.” If we let something in our life overcome us, to that thing we are brought into bondage. How many want bondage? I have talked about some of these things before. Sometimes we have to break a spirit that has ruled our life, or the life of family members before us, we have to break that in order that we may become loose. I have seen things that were passed down and down and down, never letting anyone find freedom. But somewhere, if we look at the Word and we believe the Word, there is a way to freedom that can also be passed to those coming on: and stop that trend. God always has a way for us, to stop all this stuff that has kept some bound. I am especially concerned, because I am a pastor that wants the best for all of God’s people; all of His sheep. Please do not think I am standing up here to get on somebody today. This is not easy. I don’t know how you feel, but we cannot just follow a path on and on, that may have been a wrong path all the time. Somewhere we have to break loose from things that are taking us the wrong way. If we do not find the way, then we pass it on down to our children. Maybe some of you do not know what I am talking about, but I do: so bear with me. Some people get into patterns of a lifestyle, and there are spirits behind it that just keep pulling you along. I do not expect everybody to be shouting, but I know there is an answer: so that we can be set free; that we may be free from the spots, wrinkles, and blemishes. What does the Bible say we must do? It says we are to grow in grace and in the knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. If you have a garden you know it requires cultivation, watering and feeding. The only thing I ever planted was tomatoes, but the one thing I certainly did not plant was weeds. I had a tomato plant last year, that they took pictures of, because it was 91 inches tall. I had one that started out that way this year, a certain brother brought it to me. It was over three feet tall when he brought it, and it never did get to be four feet tall. After awhile I just gave up and said, weeds, go ahead and take it: It is yours; you can have it this year. I am not out to grow weeds. I am not preaching this message to down any of you. I want you to be lifted up, but sometimes we have to do something a little different in order that we may be lifted up. As I was saying this morning, while sitting there yesterday in a chair, an uneasy feeling came over me, thinking about it, and it began to dawn on me, we are very close. One of these days, and it is not going to be very long, there is going to be the last call for salvation. The door is going to close, and some are going to be left out. I am not talking about any certain person in here. There is a whole world out there that is going to be left out; as well as some that may have sat here for years. The denominational world of religion, the independent world, is going to be out there; still weeping, singing their same songs, and still preaching their little messages, and will not realize that it is too late; It is all over, and they have missed it: The door for them is closed. When I hear them talk on television, some of those so-called prophetic preachers, say there are two billion Christians: I say, where are they? Jesus took twelve apostles and changed the world. You cannot tell me there are two billion Christians out there: changing nothing. “For if after they have escaped the pollutions of the world through the knowledge of the Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, they are again entangled therein, and overcome, the latter end is worse with them than the beginning.” How serious! I was not the first one that taught this. You can blame me for what I say, but then blame Peter for what he said, and if you are going to blame him, go back and blame the Holy Ghost: because Peter was inspired by Him. “For it had been better for them not to have known the way of righteousness, than, after they have known it, to turn from the holy commandment delivered unto them. But it is happened (It has happened) unto them according to the true proverb, The dog is turned to his own vomit again; and the sow that was washed to her wallowing in the mire.” I want to go to the next chapter; in verse 10. “But the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night; in the which the heavens shall pass away with a great noise, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat, the earth also and the works that are therein shall be burned up.” All of this happens at the end of the tribulation. “Seeing then that all these things shall be dissolved, what manner of persons ought ye to be in all holy conversation and godliness, Looking for and hastening unto the coming of the day of God, wherein the heavens being on fire shall be dissolved, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat?” That is after the battle of Armageddon has taken place. He is warning us. “Nevertheless we, (you and I) according to His promise, look for new heavens and a new earth, wherein dwelleth righteousness.” There is a better day coming. The Bride is going to be caught away before all these other things happen. “Wherefore, beloved, seeing that ye look for such things, be diligent that ye may be found of Him in peace, without spot, and blameless.” He did not make a name in the world, being someone riotous; a person, blameless. “And account that the longsuffering of our Lord is salvation; even as our beloved brother Paul also according to the wisdom given unto him hath written unto you; As also in all his epistles, speaking in them of these things; in which are some things hard to be understood, (If I stopped there, then I would not know, would I? But listen to what he said.) which they that are unlearned and unstable wrest, (You have a lot of unlearned people in this message, unlearned and unstable. Who is to blame for that? Notice what he said about it; They (wrest.Check the definition of wrest) as they do also the other scriptures, unto their own destruction.” That is sad. I do not say that with glee, it is very sad, a very sad picture. “Ye therefore, beloved, seeing ye know these things before, (you knew them before) beware lest ye also, being led away with the error of the wicked, fall from your own stedfastness. But grow in grace, (Every time you see something coming, inch up a little bit higher, grow.) and in the knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. To Him be glory both now and for ever. Amen.” I preached the message awhile back on the godhead, and some went all the way out of the scriptures; trying to disprove what I said in the message. You could not disprove it by the scriptures because everywhere you look, there it is, just like a flashing red light. You know what a flashing red light is, it means stop. There it is, flickering, blinking, trying to get our attention. (Think on that!) Grow and get above these things, get taller than the devil. Don’t look up to him, let him look up to you. He is a defeated foe, through the Lord Jesus Christ. He is defeated. Thank you Father! Thank you for your love for us. I will close this for tonight.

GETTING READY FOR THE RAPTURE PART 16 8-16-15

It is God’s amazing grace that brings us here this morning. We want to honor Him at all times; and give Him praise for everything He has done for us. I am still on the same subject. It does not seem to have an end. I do have things in mind as I speak these things to you, just to let you know what time we are living in and what is going on in the world that adds up to the end time. I have a few extra scriptures here. We will be dealing with some of them and maybe go back into some of the others. There are just so many things to keep up to date on in this hour of time. I am sure you have all heard the old saying: Time is flying by. We are right here at a time in history that we have never seen anything like before. This nation has never seen what it is seeing now. Even though there was a Civil War, it was not as it is now. When the Civil War was over, then the nation became the United States. Now things are going on, the states are divided. It is because of governmental leaders that do not have the interest of the nation in mind, but they have their own agenda, whether they be running for office or whether they are in office. So it is all coming to a head. When it gets to the boiling point, then it is kind of like a pressure cooker, they used to have a little plug in the top of them, when it got so much pressure, it would blow the plug out and you had a mess on the ceiling. Anybody know anything about that? We are at that point this morning. Just like glycerine, it is alright as long as you have it bottled up and take care of it, but if you have it put under pressure, then it is going to unload. I know they talk about the guns killing people, but a gun never killed anyone unless somebody had hold of the trigger. These things are things to learn in this hour of time we are living in; when we are living beyond the privilege that God has given to us: which is all because of leadership. At one time, we had people that were dependable; in leadership, but now you have governmental leaders that are straying far from proper leadership, and it seems like the voting people that should know better; just keep voting that kind into the offices. They keep voting in people that are a harm to this nation. They keep running and they keep on lying, and many of them over and over. Someone said; the way you can tell when they are lying is; when their lips are moving. I hate to say that, but that is about the way it is. They say: if a man steals your bank account, he is a criminal, but if the government does, then he is a politician. They do nothing to the politicians. If you steal a loaf of bread, then you can be charged with a felony, but what about those that rob you and there is nothing you can do about it? I say again to you saints: Today; we are living in a very serious hour of time, and we need to be well aware of what is just ahead; if God allows it. He will not shield us against trials that are sure to come upon us, but He will always enable us to overcome them; if we allow Him to. He will never leave or forsake us. I have some slides I want to get to today. History repeats itself. I was watching a military channel last night. They were showing Auschwitz: I have been there and know what it looks like. At one point, one million Jews were killed there. At Treblinka, there were seven hundred and some thousand Jews killed. These are called killing factories. That is a big place where Auschwitz is. The other place, Treblinka, was sixty acres. They killed so many that they had to just bury them, just dig a trench and bury them in an open field. Then it rose up and began to come to the top of the ground. They had to go ahead and bulldoze it out and make the Jews burn their own people. It could not be hid. They had to do something to hide the evidence. Altogether there were six million Jews that were killed. That was one third of the Jewish population. It has gone back to that amount again in this time that we are living in. We are living in America today, and know that it has forsaken God. The saying is, it has been perpetrated, when the Supreme Court signed the gay marriage thing, that God completely left America. I can believe that. America is living on a bubble today: a bubble that is getting ready to burst. When it does, then it will hit bottom. I was shown a map the other day; of the northwest. What they say is, everything on the other side of Interstate 5, everything west of Interstate 5 will be gone. That is a big piece of ground. They said it is not just a thought, but it will happen; because you have two parts of ground that are meeting together and one is sliding over the top of the other. When it does, then you have a problem. Therefore today: as we look at the scripture, we are living in the end. The scripture of Daniel 9:25-27 is very precious in this time we are living in. I have surfed the internet to one extent through the month of September; all through the week, and everything is pointing, but do not get hung up; thinking about that: I am just saying something big is going to happen: not that the Lord is coming back or something like that: I am not saying that much. I wondered though. why I had that dream of the 23rd or the number 23 was given to me. I wondered why, because everything was pointing to the 13th and the 28th, the blood moon. I just wondered why. But I began to look on the internet, for there is much on the 23rd. It seems like everything is pointing to the 23rd. I can see one reason why. I know that people will blow up because I am saying this, but I am not saying the Lord is coming back on the 23rd, I am not saying that Israel is going to get their land back on the 23rd. Something is going to happen though, something that will add to what we have already. There was a man named Sir Isaac Newton. He was a physicist, but he was more of a Bible scholar than a physicist according to what I read about him. I will start with verse 25 of Daniel 9. “Know therefore and understand, that from the going forth of the commandment to restore and to build Jerusalem unto the Messiah the Prince shall be seven weeks.” He said this is a two fold prophecy for the time back then, and for the time now. He took from June 7th 1967, the forty nine years Jewish time, and he came up with September 23rd. This seven week period of time, forty nine years, which would be 360 days per year, but I will go ahead and read the rest of it. Then you have sixty two weeks after that, which adds up to sixty nine weeks, which takes you from 445 B.C. to 33 A.D. That is when Christ was crucified. The 23rd of September is Jubilee. I did not know that. Then Yom Kippur. I did not know that until I did a study on it. Let me go over that again. “Know therefore and understand, that from the going forth of the commandment to restore and to build Jerusalem unto the Messiah the Prince shall be seven weeks, and threescore and two weeks: the street shall be built again, and the wall, even in troublous times.” This was when Jerusalem was rebuilt. This is when, which would be Muslim today, which is Esau’s kin, when they talked about it and said even if a fox came against it, laughed at it, said if a fox come against them then they could tear down the wall that the Jews were building. But then when they began to build, then they were threatening war against them and the Jews had to work with one hand and a sword in the other one. Is that not kind of like it is today? The sword is the Word of God for us, but the sword then, was the natural, literal sword in Nehemiah’s time.“And after threescore and two weeks shall Messiah be cut off, but not for himself: (That was for us. That is what it was talking about. It was not for Him: He had not done anything. But the death of Christ was necessary for the salvation we partake of. We would have no hope without that. So He is counting off sixty nine weeks, and if the Jews had been listening: they would have known something. Simeon and Anna were listening, but there were not many Jews who were listening. You had John the Baptist:You had Zechariah and his wife, Elizabeth, but where were the rest of them. The Jews were busy about their every day living just like it is here in America today. They are not listening. They all have an agenda; just like these prophecy preachers: that are all over the place in the Word of God. You could say: It is all raveled out to them; scattered all over the place. They cannot rightly place anything together anywhere, because it is not theirs anyhow. There may be some of them that will be foolish virgins, but they will not be preaching a true revelation of God’s Word that is just for the Bride of Christ. I don’t know how they will end up, but the thing about it is, a foolish virgin never knew Him. That is what it says in Matthew, depart from me, I know you not. Go to Matthew 25: 9-13 and you will see how our Lord will deal with the foolish virgins that have not lived according to what the true bride of Jesus Christ knew they must live: to be ready when He comes. That will be some hard words to hear, but that is what Jesus will say to those who do not have oil (the Holy Ghost) in their vessels when He comes for His bride. Depart from me, I know you not. That will be the sad story for all but the true bride. In other words, the Word has never been implanted within them. It is something that lays there: they read it, but they do not know where to apply it. God has given a few people, and I say a few, the ability to understand and to come to the knowledge of the truth. He said straight is the gate and narrow is the way that leads to life, and there will be few that will find it because broad is the other way and many will go into it. In this age, God has given us a picture and a promise. We are sitting here beside I-65, and people passing; wonder when they pass by, just what is going on in there. It may not look much like they think a church building should look; we don’t have a steeple and don’t want one. Finally, we did put the name Faith Assembly out there; so that people that might be looking for it, would know that this is the place. We are on Old Potters Lane, this is the Potters house. God is making something within. He is taking a bunch of dirt just like He did with Adam. He took a hunk of dirt and made a man and put in Him a living soul. That does not make us too important, does it: when we know what we came from; the ground? From the earth we are and back to the earth we go. Nevertheless there is something inside that the world does not know anything about. The church world at large; would laugh at us: if they hear what we believe. Let’s get back to what I was saying. “And after threescore and two weeks shall Messiah be cut off, but not for himself: and the people of the prince that shall come shall destroy the city and the sanctuary; (That happened in 70 A.D. destroy the city and the sanctuary, that is what Titus did, killed every Jew that was there. When he took over the city, he did not leave anyone living. Estimates were up to seven hundred and some thousand, Jews that were slaughtered because when they cried out, (the leadership cried out, let his blood be on us and on our children. They were passing judgment on their children. One thing is sure: God remembers.) and the end thereof shall be with a flood, and unto the end of the war desolations are determined.” In other words, the Jews had no homeland. It was raided again in 135 by the king at that time, I forget his name, but it was raided again and every Jew that was there, was thrown out and it was renamed Palestine. This means Philistine. Those people that are there now are not Philistines. These are Arab people, cousins to the Jews, but they hate them because they are the people of God. They are hated by many. There is a place in Geneva Switzerland now, that is called a Cern, c-e-r-n. It is called the open door to the abyss, a twenty three mile circle, that the 23rd of September they are to let loose. They claim it will open up the dark hole. They don’t really know what it is going to do because it is so strong. They have no idea, but the scientists want to let it go. It is going to open up a dark hole alright. It is called Nimrod’s Tower, the Tower of Babel. We have prophecy preachers today preaching that the Antichrist is going to come from the Muslim belief because this pope is so popular among the so called Christian churches. You can see how this thing is slipping in. “And he shall confirm the covenant with many (many nations) for one week: and in the midst of the week he shall cause the sacrifice and the oblation to cease, and for the overspreading of abominations he shall make it desolate, even until the consummation, and that determined shall be poured upon the desolate.” Everything in this hour is headed for a climax. Let us turn to Revelation 2. This has been a mystery to me, I am just being honest with you this morning, that third church age. Verse 12. “And to the angel of the church in Pergamos write; (The word Pergamos is not a good word.) These things saith he which hath the sharp sword with two edges.” Why would he start with something like that? He is addressing the third church age. This lasts from 3 something to the end, but it is pointing at a time here when this will really happen, but he is talking to a church back then, and here you are in 96 A.D. and listen to it. “I know thy works and where thou dwellest, even where Satan’s seat is: (That is what puzzled me.) and thou holdest fast my name, and hast not denied my faith, even in those days wherein Antipas was my faithful martyr, who was slain among you, where Satan dwelleth.” Right here, (chart) this is called the god of Zeus. This is where Pergamos was. There is a Pergamon altar and a Zeus altar, which is all the same thing. That is why I said what I did. It had an end time application also. I know where Satan dwelleth. “But I have a few things against thee, because thou hast there them that hold the doctrine of Balaam, who taught Balac to cast a stumblingblock before the children of Israel, to eat things sacrificed unto idols, and to commit fornication. So hast thou also them that hold the doctrine of the Nicolaitans, which thing I hate.” You have done come three hundred and sixteen years into the future, but he is talking to the church back then in 96, that is how far it has fallen. “Repent; or else I will come unto thee quickly, and will fight against them with the sword of my mouth.” This is a stern warning unto the church of Pergamos. Why do I bring that up? Why is it important now? That is the German mark (chart). Hitler got a man, his last name was Spear. He told him, I want you to find me an altar in order to make my speech on, to the German people. Some say he tore this altar down and brought it here, others say it was a replica. I don’t know which it is. This was in Turkey. If he did, that was a big feat for him to do, to bring it all the way to Neuremburg, Germany. Anyway Hitler wanted something to represent his cause. He made a Pergamon altar, an altar to Zeus, this. (Chart) He made that altar, and this is where he made his speech to start killing Jews. History repeats itself. It is man’s ambitions. Now I want to go to the blood moons. Let us see the importance of these, all on Jewish holy days, every one of them. The sun on Nisan 1, Adair 29. Then you have the Passover here, which is already passed now, between here, the 13th (chart). When the 13th comes, then you have another Jewish holiday, right in between here. Then the 23rd is another Jewish holiday. This is the last blood moon. The pope is teaching climate, so is Obama. He says that there are too many people on earth. He got a man that made the study. He said we have six billion too many people, we need a reduced population. The pope is coming to the United States the 22nd of September (2015). The 23rd of September, he is going to meet with President Obama at the White House, the first time ever. As he meets there, they are going to talk about climate change. Obama said the number one problem in the world is climate change. I know I am going slow on this. All the problems there are: Obama went to Africa and the thing he talked about was not the problems they were having with starvation; with not having food or water, anything like that. He talked about gay marriage. If you have gay marriages, you are going to have a reduction in population. What idiotic stuff is going on in the world today! The pope is the 266th pope. On the 23rd, it is 266 days of this year. 266 days is the gestation period for a baby to be born. I was not looking for it, but these things began to add up. In September: is the month of decision, so what I am saying today, is that we are getting close. I did not say that the Church is leaving this year, but it is a month of decision. God is giving us an opportunity to prepare: to get our lives ready to meet Him. That is what we are preaching; getting ready for the coming of the Lord, to take these things and see what they are pointing to. They are pointing to the end. The Bible says: no man knows the day or hour, but you will know when it is close. He is to speak to Congress on the 24th. He is to speak in Philadelphia, which is to be declared a freedom day, on the 25th. On the 26th, he is going to speak to the U.N. This is all about climate change. These were put here for a reason. It says there would be signs in the heaven, and in the earth; before. This is not talking about the end. This is talking about before the end. This is a preparation time. The Jews have to have their revival. Let us turn to Romans 11. “I say then, Hath God cast away his people? God forbid. For I also am an Israelite, of the seed of Abraham, of the tribe of Benjamin. God hath not cast away his people which he foreknew. (Those that He foreknew. To foreknow is from the beginning. That is the foreknowledge of God. He knew who would accept truth and who would not. He knew about the hour we are living in. Just because I said the Lord is not coming back this year or next year, there is a principal, there is a time, there are things that have to happen before that. These TV preachers say it could happen at any time. It cannot happen just any time. It has to happen in God’s time. Israel has to have their land back. The two prophets have got to come, and the man of sin has to make his move. You might say, well I know who he is: He is the pope! Which one? It says “that” man of sin, not just any an, not just any pope. Could this be the one? Yes, and if he is, it has to be getting awful close. The man is seventy eight years old.) Wot: know ye not what the scripture said of Elias? How he maketh intercession to God against Israel, saying, Lord, they have killed thy prophets, and digged down thine altars; and I am left alone, and they seek my life.” He was feeling sorry for himself. “But what said the answer of God unto him? I have reserved to myself seven thousand men, who have not bowed the knee to the image of Baal. Even so then at this present time also there is a remnant according to the election of grace. And if by grace, then is it no more of works: otherwise grace is no more grace. But if it be works, then is it no more grace: otherwise work is no more work.” You cannot buy salvation. You cannot put your name on church books. Man has tried every way he can to get out of the true way, and he has satisfied himself. They go to these churches and have their latte’s. They have their sandwich shop, and cafeterias, but they do not have God. You will not find Him in places like that. Jesus said my bread is to do the will of the Father which sent me. “What then? Israel hath not obtained that which he seeketh for; but the election hath obtained it and the rest were blinded.” Continued next issue.